A review of the archaeological evidence for food plants from
the British Isles: an example of the use of the Archaeobotanical
Computer Database (ABCD)

Philippa Tomlinson1 and Allan R. Hall2

Cite this as: Tomlinson, P., & Hall, A. R. (1996). A review of the archaeological evidence for food plants from the British Isles: an example of the use of the Archaeobotanical Computer Database (ABCD). Internet Archaeology, (1). https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.1.5

Summary

The Archaeobotanical Computer Database is an electronic compilation
of information about remains of plants from archaeological deposits
throughout the British Isles. For the first time, this wealth
of published data, much of it post-dating Godwin's (1975) History
of the British Flora has been brought together in a form in
which the user can explore the history of a particular species
or group of plants, or investigate the flora and vegetation of
a particular archaeological period or part of the British Isles.
The database contains information about the sites, deposits and
samples from which the remains in question have been recovered,
together with details of the plant parts identified and their
mode of preservation. It also provides some interpretative guidance
concerning the integrity of contexts and the reliability of dating
as an aid to judging the quality of the data available.

In this paper the compilers of the ABCD make use of the database
in order to review the archaeological evidence for food plants
in the British Isles. The paper begins with a definition of its
scope, examining the concept of a "food plant" and the
taphonomy of plant remains on British archaeological sites. It
then summarises the principal changes in food plants from the
prehistoric period to post-medieval times. The body of the paper
is a detailed discussion of the evidence for the use of berries,
other fruits, vegetables, pulses, herbs and flavourings, oil plants,
cereals and nuts. Finally, the paper compares the archaeological
evidence with that known from documentary sources.

Readers will be able to view the archaeological evidence as
distribution
maps
and will be able to explore aspects of the database online, enabling
queries by
taxa,
site or worker.
Instructions on obtaining electronic copies of the database tables
and registering as an ABCD user are also included.

Features

This article will particularly appeal to: those interested in plant remains of the British Isles, archaeobotany.

NB. The version of the ABCD accessible here dates from 1996. Some of the information it contains will now be incorrect and it lacks both a proportion of the published data available at the time of publication as well as data published in the succeeding years.
The ABCD is currently actively maintained by Dr Allan Hall, Department of Archaeology, University of York, to whom any enquiries concerning the database, including requests for extraction of records, should be made.